TRV
Study This Verse
Public-domain commentary
Matthew Henry
From his Commentary on the Whole Bible. Henry comments on passages, not single verses — this entry covers Hebrews 9:8–14. His four-level outline is real structure in the source text, so it is rendered as structure.
In these verses the apostle undertakes to deliver to us the mind and meaning of the Holy Ghost in all the ordinances of the tabernacle and legal economy, comprehending both place and worship. The scriptures of the Old Testament were given by inspiration of God; holy men of old spoke and wrote as the Holy Ghost directed them. And these Old Testament records are of great use and significancy, not only to those who first received them, but even to Christians, who ought not to satisfy themselves with reading the institutes of the Levitical law, but should learn what the Holy Ghost signifies and suggests to them thereby. Now here are several things mentioned as the things that the Holy Ghost signified and certified to his people hereby.
I.That the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest, while the first tabernacle was standing, Heb 9:8.
This was one lesson the Holy Ghost would teach us by these types; the way to heaven was not so clear and plain, nor so much frequented, under the Old Testament as under the New. It is the honour of Christ and the gospel, and the happiness of those who live under it, that now life and immortality are brought to light. There was not that free access to God then that there is now; God has now opened a wider door; and there is room for more, yea, even for as many as are truly willing to return unto him by Christ.
II.That the first tabernacle was only a figure for the time then present, Heb 9:9.
It was a dark dispensation, and but of short continuance, only designed for awhile to typify the great things of Christ and the gospel, that were in due time to shine forth in their own brightness, and thereby cause all the shadows to flee away and disappear, as the stars before the rising sun.
III.That none of the gifts and sacrifices there offered could make the offerers perfect as pertaining to conscience (Heb 9:9); that is, they could not take away the desert, or defilement, or dominion, of sin; they could not deliver conscience from a dread of the wrath of God; they could neither discharge the debts, nor resolve the doubts, of him who did the service. A man might run through them all in their several orders and frequent returns, and continue to do so all his days, and yet not find his conscience either pacified or purified by them; he might thereby be saved from corporal and temporal punishments that were threatened against the non-observers, but he could not be saved by them from sin or hell, as all those are who believe in Christ.
IV.The Holy Ghost hereby signifies that the Old Testament institutions were by external carnal ordinances imposed upon them until the time of reformation, Heb 9:10. Their imperfection lay in three things: - 1. Their nature. They were but external and carnal meats and drinks, and divers washings. All these were bodily exercises, which profit little; they could only satisfy the flesh, or at best sanctify to the purifying of the flesh. 2. They were not such as were left indifferent to them to use or disuse, but they were imposed upon them by grievous corporal punishments, and this was ordered on purpose to make them look more to the promised Seed, and long more for him. 3. These were never designed for a perpetuity, but only to continue till the time of reformation, till the better things provided for them were actually bestowed upon them. Gospel times are and should be times of reformation, - of clearer light as to all things necessary to be known, - of greater love, inducing us to bear ill-will to none, but good-will to all, and to have complacency in all that are like God, - of greater liberty and freedom both of spirit and speech - and of a more holy living according to the rule of the gospel. We have far greater advantages under the gospel than they had under the law; and either we must be better or we shall be worse. A conversation becoming the gospel is an excellent way of living; nothing mean, foolish, vain, or servile becomes the gospel.
V.The Holy Ghost signifies to us hereby that we never make the right use of types but when we apply them to the antitype; and, whenever we do so, it will be very evident that the antitype (as in reason it should) greatly excels the type, which is the main drift and design of all that is said. And, as he writes to those who believed that Christ had come and that Jesus was the Christ, so he very justly infers that he is infinitely above all legal high priests (Heb 9:11, Heb 9:12), and he illustrates it very fully. For,
1.Christ is a high priest of good things to come, by which may be understood,
(1.)All the good things that were to come during the Old Testament, and now have come under the New. All the spiritual and eternal blessings the Old Testament saints had in their day and under their dispensation were owing to the Messiah to come, on whom they believed. The Old Testament set forth in shadows what was to come; the New Testament is the accomplishment of the Old.
(2.)All the good things yet to come and to be enjoyed in a gospel state, when the promises and prophecies made to the gospel church in the latter days shall be accomplished; all these depend upon Christ and his priesthood, and shall be fulfilled.
(3.)Of all the good things to come in the heavenly state, which will perfect both the Testaments; as the state of glory will perfect the state of grace, this state will be in a much higher sense the perfection of the New Testament than the New Testament was the perfection of the Old. Observe, All things past, present, and to come, were, and are, founded upon, and flowing fRom. the priestly office of Christ.
2.Christ is a high priest by a greater and more perfect tabernacle (Heb 9:11), a tabernacle not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building, but his own body, or rather human nature, conceived by the Holy Ghost overshadowing the blessed virgin. This was a new fabric, a new order of building, infinitely superior to all earthly structures, not excepting the tabernacle of the temple itself.
3.Christ, our high priest, has entered into heaven, not as their high priest entered into the holiest, with the blood of bulls and of goats, but by his own blood, typified by theirs, and infinitely more precious. And this,
4.Not for one year only, which showed the imperfection of that priesthood, that it did but typically obtain a year's reprieve or pardon. But our high priest entered into heaven once for all, and has obtained not a yearly respite, but eternal redemption, and so needs not to make an annual entrance. In each of the types there was something that showed it was a type, and resembled the antitype, and something that showed it was but a type, and fell short of the antitype, and therefore ought by no means to be set up in competition with the antitype.
5.The Holy Ghost further signified and showed what was the efficacy of the blood of the Old Testament sacrifices, and thence is inferred the much greater efficacy of the blood of Christ.
(1.)The efficacy of the blood of the legal sacrifices extended to the purifying of the flesh (Heb 9:13): it freed the outward man from ceremonial uncleanness and from temporal punishment, and entitled him to, and fitted him for, some external privileges.
(2.)He infers very justly hence the far greater efficacy of the blood of Christ (Heb 9:14): How much more shall the blood of Christ, etc. Here observe,
[1.]What it was that gave such efficacy to the blood of Christ. First, It was his offering himself to God, the human nature upon the altar of his divine nature, he being priest, altar, and sacrifice, his divine nature serving for the two former, and his human nature for the last; now such a priest, altar, and sacrifice, could not but be propitiatory. Secondly, It was Christ's offering up himself to God through the eternal Spirit, not only as the divine nature supported the human, but the Holy Ghost, which he had without measure, helping him in all, and in this great act of obedience offering himself. Thirdly, It was Christ's offering himself to God without spot, without any sinful stain either in his nature or life; this was conformable to the law of sacrifices, which required them to be without blemish. Now further observe,
[2.]What the efficacy of Christ's blood is; it is very great. For, First, It is sufficient to purge the conscience from dead works, it reaches to the very soul and conscience, the defiled soul, defiled with sin, which is a dead work, proceeds from spiritual death, and tends to death eternal. As the touching of a dead body gave a legal uncleanness, so meddling with sin gives a moral and real defilement, fixes it in the very soul; but the blood of Christ has efficacy to purge it out. Secondly, It is sufficient to enable us to serve the living God, not only by purging away that guilt which separates between God and sinners, but by sanctifying and renewing the soul through the gracious influences of the Holy Spirit, purchased by Christ for this purpose, that we might be enabled to serve the living God in a lively manner.
Historical interpretation
Seven Centuries of Reception
4 surviving comments on this verse. Each one is dated, so this reads as a timeline rather than a list.
Select a marker to jump to its quote. Markers stagger vertically where authors wrote within a few decades of each other.
We indeed who are of the church rightly receive Moses and read his writings, believing that he is a prophet who wrote down the future mysteries which God revealed to him in symbols, figures and allegorical forms, which we teach were fulfilled in their own time. But whoever does not receive such an understanding in him, whether one of the Jews or even one of us, certainly cannot teach that he is a prophet. For how will he prove he is a prophet whose writings he asserts to be common, containing no knowledge of the future or anything of a hidden mystery? Whoever thinks thus the divine word censures, saying, “Do you understand what you are reading?”Therefore, the law and all the things that are in the law are, according to the opinion of the apostle, “imposed until the time of reformation.” … Those whose craft is to make tokens from copper and to pour statues, before they produce a true work of copper or of silver or of gold, must first form figures from clay to the likeness of the figure image. (The model is necessary only until the work that is principal is completed, for when that work for which that image was made of clay is completed, its use is no longer sought.) [Thus we] understand also something like this in these things which were written or done “in a type” and in a figure of the future in the law and prophets. For the artist and creator of all himself came and transformed “the law which has but a shadow of the good things to come” to “the true form of these realities.” But lest perhaps the things we say appear difficult for you to be able to prove, examine them one by one.
First, there was Jerusalem, that great, royal city, where the most renowned temple had been constructed for God. But after that, one who was the true temple of God came and said about the temple of his body, “Destroy this temple,” and began to open the mysteries “of the heavenly Jerusalem.” This earthly place was destroyed, and the heavenly became visible, and in the temple “stone” did not remain “upon stone” from the time when the flesh of Christ was made the true temple of God. First there was a high priest who purified the people "by the blood of bulls and goats"; but when the true high priest who “sanctifies” believers “through his own blood” came, that first high priest existed no more, and neither was any place left for him. First there was the altar, and sacrifices were being celebrated; but when the true Lamb came who “gave himself up as an offering to God,” all these other, as it were, temporary institutions ceased.
Therefore, does it not seem to you that, according to the figure set forth above, there were some models made from clay, as it were, through which true images were represented? Finally, for this reason, the divine dispensation provided that the city and the temple and all those as well be overthrown, lest he who is perhaps still “a child and feeding on milk of the faith” be enraptured by the view itself of the diverse forms, if he should see them standing and be astonished and amazed during the ritual of sacrifices and during the order of the services. But God, watching out for our weakness and desiring his church to be multiplied, made all these to be overthrown and taken away completely, so that without any hesitation, when those ceased, we might believe these to be true for which the type was contained in advance in them.
"Which" (he says) "was established as a figure for the time then present." What does he mean by "the time present"? That before the coming of Christ: For after the coming of Christ, it is no longer a time present: For how could it be, having arrived, and being ended?
There is too something else which he indicates, when he says this, "which was a figure for the time then present," that is, became the Type. "In which were offered both gifts and sacrifices, that could not make him that did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience." Thou seest now what is the meaning of "The Law made nothing perfect," and "If that first covenant had been faultless." How? "As pertaining to the conscience." For the sacrifices did not put away the defilement from the soul, but still were concerned with the body: "after the law of a carnal commandment." For certainly they could not put away adultery, nor murder, nor sacrilege. Seest thou? Thou hast eaten this, Thou hast not eaten that, which are matters of indifference. "Which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings." "Thou hast drunk this," he says: and yet nothing has been ordained concerning drink, but he said this, treating them as trifles.
"And in divers washings, and carnal ordinances imposed on them until the time of reformation." For this is the righteousness of the flesh. Here he depreciates the sacrifices, showing that they had no efficacy, and that they existed "till the time of reformation," that is, they waited for the time that reformeth all things.
We are being taught through figures, he is saying, that the law bears of this life and is appropriate for those who still have a moral nature.… He also clearly taught us in these words that he does not reject the law as a whole—only the regulations about eating and drinking, menstruation, leprosy, childbirth and periods; they washed themselves and purified themselves with sprinkling, but none of this could make the conscience pure. Now none of these was imposed without reason but to meet some need, specifying which is not relevant at the present time. They were all temporary, however, looking forward to the time of perfection.
“made clear by the Holy Spirit.” For this reason, he says, the tabernacle was thus constructed, where the lampstand and the table of showbread are in the first sanctuary, and since the remaining priests ascend into the Holy of Holies, it is evident that heaven remains inaccessible. For the Holy of Holies is a type of heaven. But only the high priest enters there, which was a type that only Christ, the true high priest, has ascended into heaven. But thereafter, having ascended, he brought in the race of mankind, for before this it was inaccessible. Now, however, it has become accessible through Christ.
"not yet been made clear." It is not yet a path that is walkable and accessible to the heavens, which Christ first initiated.
"was still standing," he says, and in a certain way blocking the passage to the Holy of Holies.
"which was a symbol." He says, a type of those in the tabernacle, for the time then present, from which they are fulfilled, he says, and have an end. And justly. For if those were a type of Christ, it is fitting that with the revelation of Christ, the types are fulfilled, and they have an end.
"according to which gifts and sacrifices were offered." In which a symbol and according to which type the offerings of both giftsand sacrifices were offered,
"which could not perfect the worshiper in regard to conscience." As if he said, In which type, that is, in the priestly service according to the law, the sacrifices were offered, but they were not able to cleanse the soul and conscience. For being bodily, they cleansed the body.
"in regard to conscience;" or according to the soul.
"which could not perfect the worshiper." Not even those who offered the sacrifices could be purified.
"only." By hyperbaton [ὑπερβατὸν], the word imposed is to be joined:
"in foods and drinks." The sacrifices and worship offered, he says, could not render anyone perfect concerning the soul, but only had power regarding the flesh and carnal matters: and in this, they satisfied the offerers so that they would eat this and not eat that, and that they would be washed with water those who had communicated, or were made common and unclean; which are the justifications of the flesh, that is, purifying the flesh, and not at all the soul; not at all the inner man, but were exercised concerning the outer. But how did he say, "and drinks," although the law did not make a distinction concerning drinks? This, then, he says, concerns the priest not drinking wine when he was about to enter the sanctuary; or also concerning vows, that is, promises, concerning abstaining from wine; simply belittling such ordinances and ridiculing them, this is what he said.
“and various baptisms.” There were various baptisms. For if someone touched a dead body, or a leper, or someone became afflicted with gonorrhea, they were baptized, and in this way it was thought they were being purified. But these were just ordinances of the flesh, fleshly things cleansing the flesh, and nowhere the soul, nowhere the mind, nor concerning the inner man, but they were concerned with the outer. However, they were not meant to last forever, but only until the time ofrestructuring. And what is this time of restructuring? Clearly, it is the coming of the Savior, who would correct these things and introduce true and spiritual worship.
"Imposed." It is well said, "imposed"; for the burden was only those things in the law, as the apostles say; "Which neither we, he says, nor our fathers were able to bear." (Acts 15:10)
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Summary
Hebrews 9:9 declares that the Old Covenant tabernacle and its sacrificial system served as a symbolic representation, a "figure," for the era in which it operated. Despite the regular offering of various gifts and sacrifices within this system, it possessed an inherent limitation: it could not fundamentally cleanse or perfect the conscience of the worshiper, leaving them with an internal sense of guilt or inadequacy before God. This verse thus underscores the provisional and incomplete nature of the Mosaic Law, setting the stage for the revelation of Christ's superior and fully efficacious atonement.
Context
Literary Context
This verse is deeply embedded within the author's extended argument in Hebrews 9, which meticulously details the inadequacy of the Old Covenant's sacrificial system and the superiority of Christ's New Covenant. The preceding verses Hebrews 9:1-5 describe the earthly tabernacle, its two compartments (the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place), and the sacred items within them. Hebrews 9:6-8 then explains the daily ministry of the priests in the Holy Place and the annual entry of the high priest into the Most Holy Place, emphasizing that the way into God's presence was not yet fully revealed under the Old Covenant. Verse 9 directly follows this description, explicitly stating that this entire system, symbolized by the tabernacle itself, was merely a "figure" or illustration, pointing to a future reality. It serves as a pivotal transition, highlighting the limitations of the old system before introducing the perfect and final work of Christ.
Historical & Cultural Context
The audience of the Epistle to the Hebrews consisted primarily of Jewish Christians, many of whom were wavering in their faith and tempted to revert to Judaism due to persecution or a misunderstanding of the New Covenant's finality. For these believers, the temple, its priesthood, and its elaborate sacrificial rituals were deeply ingrained aspects of their religious identity and heritage. They understood the daily and annual sacrifices as divinely ordained means of atonement and purification. The author's challenge was to demonstrate that while these practices were indeed God-given, they were never meant to be ultimate. They were shadows of a greater reality yet to come. The concept of "conscience" (Greek: syneídēsis) was also significant in both Jewish and Hellenistic thought, referring to the inner moral awareness of right and wrong, and the sense of guilt or innocence before God and others. The author argues that the Old Covenant rituals could not truly address this inner spiritual burden.
Key Themes
This verse contributes significantly to several overarching themes in the Epistle to the Hebrews. Firstly, it reinforces the provisional and typological nature of the Old Covenant, asserting that its institutions were temporary pointers, not the ultimate reality. The tabernacle and its rituals were a "figure" (parabolē), a shadow of heavenly realities, as discussed earlier in Hebrews 8:5. Secondly, it highlights the inadequacy of animal sacrifices to achieve true spiritual perfection or inner cleansing. The repeated sacrifices under the Law, though commanded by God, could not truly remove the stain of sin or bring deep peace to the conscience, a point further elaborated in Hebrews 10:1-4. This inadequacy creates a profound need for a superior High Priest and a better sacrifice, a theme that permeates the entire epistle and finds its fulfillment in Jesus Christ, whose single offering perfects those who are sanctified (Hebrews 10:14).
Exposition and Analysis
Key Word Analysis
This word signifies a similitude, a parable, an illustration, or a type. In this context, it emphasizes that the Old Covenant tabernacle and its entire system were not the ultimate reality but rather a symbolic representation or an object lesson. They served as a foreshadowing, pointing beyond themselves to a greater, more complete reality yet to be revealed. It underscores the temporary and illustrative nature of the Mosaic dispensation.
To complete, to accomplish, or to consummate in character. Here, it refers to a state of spiritual and moral completion or inner purification. The Old Covenant sacrifices, while providing ceremonial cleansing, could not bring about this deep, internal transformation or a clear, guilt-free conscience before God. The author uses this term to highlight the profound spiritual deficiency of the old system in addressing the root problem of sin.
This term denotes co-perception or moral consciousness. It refers to the inner faculty that judges one's actions, leading to a sense of guilt, shame, or peace. The verse explicitly states that the Old Covenant sacrifices could not perfect the worshiper "as pertaining to the conscience," meaning they could not truly remove the burden of guilt or provide an inner sense of peace and acceptance before God. The cleansing was external and ritualistic, not internal and transformative.
Verse Breakdown
"Which [was] a figure for the time then present"
The antecedent "Which" refers to the tabernacle and its associated rituals described in the preceding verses. The phrase "a figure" (Greek: parabolē) indicates that this entire system was a symbolic representation, a shadow, or an illustration. It was not the ultimate reality but served as a temporary, provisional arrangement "for the time then present," meaning for the duration of the Old Covenant era. This highlights its temporary and preparatory nature, designed to point forward to a greater fulfillment.
"in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices"
This clause specifies the activities that took place within this "figure"—the regular offering of "gifts" (general offerings, perhaps including grain or drink offerings) and "sacrifices" (specifically blood offerings for atonement). These were the prescribed means of worship and reconciliation under the Mosaic Law, performed diligently by the priests and worshipers. The author acknowledges the divine institution of these practices, even as he points to their limitations.
"that could not make him that did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience;"
This is the crucial limitation. Despite the diligent performance of these rituals, they "could not make him that did the service perfect." The Greek verb teleióō here implies a complete, inner, and spiritual perfection or cleansing. The inability was specifically "as pertaining to the conscience" (Greek: katá syneídēsin). This means the sacrifices could not truly remove the deep-seated guilt, the burden of sin, or the moral defilement from the worshiper's inner being. They provided ceremonial purity but not a fundamental, internal peace or a clear conscience before a holy God.
Literary Devices
The author of Hebrews employs several powerful literary devices in this verse. Symbolism is central, as the entire tabernacle system, with its "gifts and sacrifices," is explicitly called a "figure" (parabolē), serving as a symbolic representation of spiritual truths that would later be fully revealed. This sets up a Contrast between the Old Covenant and the New, highlighting the inherent limitations of the former. The phrase "could not make him that did the service perfect" creates a clear Antithesis to what the New Covenant, through Christ, can achieve. Furthermore, the specific focus on "the conscience" employs Metonymy, where "conscience" stands for the inner spiritual state of the worshiper, emphasizing that the deficiency of the old system was not merely external or ritualistic, but deeply internal and moral.
Theological and Thematic Connections
Hebrews 9:9 serves as a profound theological statement on the nature of atonement and the progression of God's redemptive plan. It firmly establishes that the Old Covenant system, though divinely ordained, was inherently provisional and incapable of achieving ultimate spiritual perfection or deep inner cleansing. Its inability to "perfect... the conscience" highlights humanity's persistent need for a more profound and final solution to the problem of sin and guilt. This verse powerfully sets the stage for the revelation of Christ as the perfect High Priest and the ultimate sacrifice, whose once-for-all offering truly cleanses the conscience and provides complete access to God. It underscores the New Covenant's superiority not merely in degree, but in kind, offering an internal transformation that the external rituals of the Old Covenant could never provide.
Reflection and Application
Hebrews 9:9 offers a crucial perspective on our approach to God and our understanding of true spiritual peace. It challenges any notion that human effort, religious rituals, or adherence to external laws can genuinely cleanse our conscience or make us "perfect" in God's sight. The Old Covenant's inability to achieve this inner transformation, despite its divine origin and meticulous practice, serves as a timeless reminder that our salvation and acceptance before God are not earned through our "service" or "gifts and sacrifices." Instead, true peace and a clear conscience are found solely in the finished work of Jesus Christ. This verse calls us to abandon self-reliance and ritualism, and to place our complete trust in Christ's perfect sacrifice, which alone has the power to cleanse our deepest guilt and bring us into a state of genuine peace with God. It encourages us to live with the confidence that our conscience can be truly purified, not by what we do, but by what Christ has already done for us.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
What does it mean that the Old Covenant sacrifices "could not make him that did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience"?
This means that while the Old Covenant sacrifices provided ceremonial cleansing and a temporary covering for sin, they could not fundamentally transform the worshiper's inner moral state or remove the deep-seated burden of guilt from their conscience. The purification was external and ritualistic, not internal and spiritual. The repeated nature of these sacrifices (as highlighted in Hebrews 10:1-4) demonstrated their inability to provide a final, complete, and lasting solution to the problem of sin and guilt. Worshippers would still feel the weight of their sins and the need for ongoing atonement.
Christ-Centered Fulfillment
Hebrews 9:9, by exposing the inherent limitations of the Old Covenant system, powerfully magnifies the necessity and glory of Christ's redemptive work. The "figure" of the tabernacle and its sacrifices, which could not perfect the conscience, was a divinely orchestrated foreshadowing that pointed directly to Jesus Christ. He is the ultimate reality to which the Old Covenant rituals alluded. Unlike the priests who repeatedly offered imperfect sacrifices that could not truly cleanse the conscience, Christ, as our great High Priest, entered the true, heavenly sanctuary "once for all" through His own blood (Hebrews 9:11-12). His single, perfect sacrifice not only covers sin but genuinely purifies the conscience "from dead works to serve the living God" (Hebrews 9:14). Thus, what the Law could not do—provide a clear conscience and perfect inner peace—Christ accomplished completely, ushering in a New Covenant where believers can draw near to God with full assurance, having their hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience (Hebrews 10:22).